A strong batch of finalists for our ingredients of the year have been confirmed for our 2026 World Confectionery Awards, reports Neill Barston.

With the sector experiencing major demand for a wide variety of applications across global confectionery and snacking industries, manufacturers have moved to respond to ever-shifting demand from consumers.

This was certainly witnessed with this year’s entrants, reflecting the diversity of opportunities in the sector this year, as the world grapples with a number of tests including increased sourcing costs, as well as health and dietary considerations across the markets.

Our finalist shortlist this year features longstading Netherlands firm Avebe, which has devised a key new innovation in the form of its PerfectaGel.

As previously reported, traditional starch- and plant-based gummies typically require 36 to 72 hours of drying. This makes the drying room the biggest bottleneck, inflating energy consumption, carbon footprint, and manufacturing costs. To tackle this constraint, the company has devised its gel solution using potato starch technologies that accelerate setting and drying while delivering a soft, elastic texture closer to gelatin.

For its part, the global ofi ingredients business is also in the mix for honours this year. As it noted, with consumer demand for premium chocolate accelerates, food manufacturers face a longstanding challenge, delivering fine-flavor chocolate at scale without compromising quality.

To address this gap, deZaan, ofi’s premium cocoa brand, launched an innovative range of single origin cocoa liquors, enabling manufacturers to create differentiated, premium chocolate products with reliable production for industrial performance.

Finally, the UK’s Plamil Foods is also a contender for this year’s ingredients accolade, nominating its high quality dark chocolate featuring a claimed unique ingredient of date powder.

As the company observed, its Rainforest Alliance Certified 70% dark offering has been delivered at a time  when the chocolate industry faces mounting pressure to deliver healthier products, cleaner labels, sustainable sourcing and exceptional taste.

The winners of the category will be announced at our World Confectionery Conference at One America Square in London, on 10 September, with awards being delivered as part of the event.

Editor Neill Barston added: “The ingredients segment of our World Confectionery Awards has been one that has been strongly contested over the past five years of operating our event, and we are very glad that this is the case again this year.

“With the sector being especially pivotal to the fortunes of businesses across our industry, we are glad to see some genuine innovations being put forward once again to contend for industry honours.”